When designing your own wedding invitation, following a few easy steps will provide you with a memorable and appropriate invitation. People will be unable to forget the invitation and may even copy some of your ideas down the road. After all, mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery.

Deciding Between Formal and Casual

Choosing your wedding invitations requires simple choices, yet for some, they are extremely difficult. First and foremost, you must have decisions about your wedding already firmed up. Is your wedding going to be a formal event or is it casual?

Formal weddings require formal invitations. A formal wedding invitation should include the invitation, an RSVP card, and a direction card. Usually, sheets of tissue paper protect the printed ink inside the formal invitation. If you are having an informal wedding, however, you can tone things down by sending an invitation and having people call a specified party for all RSVP’s and directions rather than including it all within the invitation.

Coordinating Wedding Colors and Themes

Start by contemplating the colors you are using for your wedding. If roses are in your bouquet, for example, roses can be the theme of your invitations. If your bridal party will be wearing ice blue, choose pale blue invitations. The possibilities are endless.

Select the Proper Paper

Once you have chosen colors, you can start looking at invitation samples. The paper used to print the invitations is the next decision. Most people choose vellum, a type of cotton. There are alternatives, however, such as embossed paper, homemade paper, or dyed card stock.

Prices will vary greatly depending on the paper you choose. You want to choose a paper that will withstand handling. Remember that you will insert the invitations into envelopes and that the recipient will eventually open and remove the wedding invitation, possibly more than once. Therefore, you will want paper stock that stands the test of time. Another issue to consider about paper is that some paper yellows over time. When you look back at your invitation ten years later, you do not want it to have yellowed with age.

Selecting the Proper Print and Background

Dark backgrounds and light print can strain the eyes. This can be troublesome for those with poor or diminishing vision. Not to mention, people are going to tuck away something that strains their eyes instead of displaying it in a common area. Though it is a matter of personal taste, it is highly suggested that you choose a light background with dark print.

Once you have settled on a background, you will want to decide on your font. Formal wedding invitations with an Olde English or gothic font will take on the appearance of royalty. Informal weddings can have a rounded style like Rockwell or Comic Sans. Regardless of the font type, its size should be large enough to read without creating a space issue. You may have to play with fonts and sizes for a while to get things perfect. Regardless, do not be afraid to try different combinations.

Finally, you need to choose the ink/print color. There are many dark shades from black to violet to deep gray. Choose a color that complements your background. If you have a pale blue invitation, navy blue is an exceptional print choice. Brick red against a beige background is an interesting choice for a fall wedding. Creamy yellow with dark green emotes images of springtime. Reds and pale mint greens are reminiscent of roses in the summer.

Regardless of the color scheme you choose, make sure you have thought of all the angles. Bring them together to create your ideal wedding invitation.